


My Old Man's Son

by Willow124



Series: Songfics: Eli Young Band songs [8]
Category: Leverage
Genre: Dysfunctional Relationships, F/M, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-31
Updated: 2012-12-31
Packaged: 2017-11-23 02:24:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/617053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Willow124/pseuds/Willow124
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is another of my song fics based around songs by the Eli Young Band.  This one is from Nate's point of view and is based around his relationship with his father. I wish I were better at writing summaries. Please read?</p>
            </blockquote>





	My Old Man's Son

**You know there’s something about me**

**I didn’t know, I didn’t see**

 

            Nathan Ford had been told many times growing up that there was something special about him, not that he could see it.  He was always the smart kid in class that sat in the back and never said anything.  He just listened to what was said and used that to pass his classes with flying colors.  He really didn’t see where a hidden talent came into that, no matter what his teachers and mom said.

 

**Back when I’d tend to take for granted**

**The ones who had made a man of me**

 

            He didn’t think about all his parents did to help him.  His dad taught him to pay attention, about the darker side of things, and about bullies.  His mom was always there, pushing him and making sure he knew that she was proud of him.  If not for her, he wouldn’t be what he came to be.  It was his dad, however, that made sure he would know what he needed to survive and thrive in his chosen profession.

 

**That kid I was, he had no clue**

**They’d make the man standing right here in front of you**

 

            When he was younger, Nate wanted to become a priest.  He was an altar boy for a long time and then he joined seminary school with his best friend, Paul.  It didn’t take too long to discover that he was not meant to work for the church.  He didn’t have the correct temperament for it; he was too much like his father, even if he didn’t acknowledge it.

 

**I was born my old man’s son**

**My mama’s secret weapon, her loaded gun**

 

            He didn’t realize it until his father was gone, but they were a lot alike.  They both ran “the nastiest crew” in Boston, even if Nate’s were all reformed bad guys instead of real bad guys.  They both ran their cons based on their favorite games, chess and Three Card Monty.  And they both needed help relating to the women they love.  Nate’s mother used Nate to get his father home at least once a month… you could say that he was the gun that she used against his father.

 

**From the way I laugh to the way I hold a woman’s hand**

 

            The way he treated Sophie was a lot like how Jimmy Ford treated his wife.  He loved her, but he didn’t really know how to show her.  For the longest time, his relationship with Sophie was exactly like that of his parents… distant.

 

**Everywhere I go, wherever I run**

**I’ll be my old man’s son**

 

            The fact that he was Jimmy Ford’s son followed him wherever he went.  In LA, Maggie asked about him every time they saw each other, at least until Jimmy was arrested.  After that, it became taboo to speak of the elder Fords in the house.  In Boston, every cop who met him knew him by his father.  Then, Jimmy himself showed up to run his own con from McRoy’s.  It was the most awkward con the team had done since they came to Boston, and that’s including the one where they made Monica Hunter have a nervous breakdown.

 

**A lot of things go down**

**In an “everybody knows” kind of town**

 

            Everyone who knew Jimmy instantly knew who Nate was without anyone telling them.  Maggie avoided the topic easily.  Sam didn’t know his grandfather at all; the man had been in jail since Sam was too young to remember.  Sophie was the one to try and get them to have a better relationship.  She pushed him over and over every time they were in the same building.  She couldn’t’ve known what was going to happen to him

 

**They’re all a small town genius**

**But there’s a lot of space between us**

 

            Nate, now that Jimmy is gone, wishes that he had listened to her.  She was right, not that he would ever tell her that….

 

**I’ve got something they ain’t got**

**I’m someone that they’re not**

 

            Jimmy left behind a legacy in his son that not even Nate realized for a long time, a legacy that Nate believed to be destroyed when Sam died.  Nate’s father left him more than just a name, he left behind lessons that Nate didn’t realize he had until later.

 

**I was born my old man’s son**

**My mama’s secret weapon, her loaded gun**

**From the way I shake on a deal to the way I hold a steering wheel**

**Everywhere I go, wherever I run**

 

            Nate will never forget what he was, where he came from, and how that will affect his future.

**I’ll be my old man’s son**

**It took some time to see**

**To realize what it means to be**

**Born my old man’s son**

 

            It wasn’t until Jimmy Ford’s murder that he realized just how much his life was shaped by his father.  Nate swore to get his revenge, and he did.  He also swore to do better with Sophie than his father did with his own wife.  After he avenged his father, the first thing he did was go get his girl.  Sophie saved him when he didn’t want to be saved.  The team’s contribution was less but no less profound.  The four of them didn’t just save his life over and over; they gave him a life after his was gone.  He’s going to have to find a way to thank them, some way to show how much he trusts them.

 

**My mama’s secret weapon, her loaded gun**

**From the way I laugh to the way I hold a woman’s hand**

**Everywhere I go, wherever I run**

**I’ll be my old man’s son**

**My old man’s son**

 

            Nathan was Jimmy Ford’s son, and now he can appreciate that like never before.  He can be proud of being his old man’s son.


End file.
